Beijing against Google and US, Clinton’s words could harm relations
The Asian giant has taken a hard-line in response to the speech by the US secretary of state yesterday on internet freedom. In her address, Clinton said that Chinese authorities should “conduct a thorough investigation of the cyber intrusions” against Google, adding, "We also look for that investigation and its results to be transparent." Google announced it might pull out of China because of attempts to spy on the e-mail accounts of Chinese dissidents.
According to the US leader, “countries that restrict free access to information or violate the basic rights of internet users risk walling themselves off from the progress of the next century.”
The countries she directly mentioned are, in addition to China, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. For them and anyone who wants to limit freedom in cyberspace, there will be consequences.
China’s Foreign Ministry responded to US criticism by saying that Secretary Clinton’s remarks were “harmful to China-US relations” but that the People’s Republic was willing to continue the dialogue.
For the Ministry, US attacks are unfair, contrary to reality. The United States should respect the facts and stop so-called internet freedom to make baseless accusations. Internet in China is open and China is at the forefront of its development in the world.
According to official figures, China has 384 million internet users, 3.68 internet sites under the China domain and 180 million blogs.
Beijing runs internet in accordance with its and international rules, the Foreign Ministry noted, adding that it hoped that the United States would respect the commitments made by the leaders of the two countries in terms of bilateral relations.
For some analysts, the controversy represents a shift in the relationship between the two countries. Even though China has never given an inch on human rights, Clinton’s strongly worded statement is seen by some as a positive step, one that touched a raw nerve.
Others believe that economic could also be a factor. Google might contemplate shutting down its China operations because it lost the fight with Baidu, China’s own research engine. Citing human rights violations might simply be a way of leaving the field without losing face.
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